and pays tribute to the outstanding contributions of the laureate. At the same time, the prize gives visibility to the international public discourse of European values.

The Prize is the City of Timisoara's response to the times of tension and conflict we are going through. At a time when freedom and democracy are under attack from authoritarian forces both inside and outside the European Union, it is important to reaffirm our commitment to a future based on European values: freedom, human dignity, democracy, equality, rule of law, human rights. These values are also the values that have shaped Timisoara's identity throughout its history.